This invention relates generally to cold welding bonding processes and more particularly concerns a system in which acousto-optic modulators are prepared for bonding and then bonded to each other.
In cold welding applications, two essentially flat objects are coated with a cold welding material, such as indium, and then pressed together to bond the objects. One cold welding application is the production of acousto-optic modulators. An acousto-optic substrate and transducer are each:
(a) first coated in a vacuum with a thin film of indium, and
(b) assembled with a press in a vacuum without breaking the vacuum between steps (a) and (b).
Low product yield or undesirable amounts of malfunctioning parts are produced using conventional vacuum cold welding systems due to the following problems:
1) variable film quality due to boiling and spitting of thermal sources,
2) misalignment of substrate and transducer due to the large rotational angles the substrate and transducer must be rotated through, and
3) breakage of parts and non-uniform bonding adhesion due to substrate and transducer not being aligned parallel or co-planar to each other.
A vacuum cold welding system has been created which overcomes these limitations and has a greater yield of properly functioning parts.
Further advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds.